Coffee Cake
by x-cheerycharm-x
Summary: Penelope talks to Percy about his job and his family, while baking a coffee cake. Set during OoTP, the day before the trio end up in the Department of Mysteries. Very short. One-shot.


**Coffee Cake**

_-by Meda Black-_

-Tell me what you think, very short. I'm only a beginner at this, I'm not used to anybody reading what I write, so bear with me here. Constuctive critism is appreciated.-  
  


* * *

Percy sat down to the dinner table, preposterous grin plastered upon his face. Penelope sighed, wondering what it was this time.  
  
"Penny, you'll never believe what Fudge said today! He said he thinks I was a well-chosen person for my position, and that I have great potential in the ministry, Penny! Who knows where my career is going, he seems so pleased with my work, one of these days I'll get promoted again, I know it. I mean, don't get me wrong, Penny, my position now is absolutely capital, but with the job I'm doing now, who knows where I'll be? Perhaps I'll get Delores's job one day! When she retires, of course, she's excellent and has had the job for ages. Maybe someday I'll be Minister? Who knows!"  
  
"That's wonderful, Perce..."  
  
"Isn't it?"  
  
"MmmHmm,"  
  
"Maybe someday I'll-"  
  
_"Percy"_ Penelope heaved a sigh, "I've been wanting to talk to you," she stopped mixing the batter for her coffee cake. Penelope always made coffee cake.  
  
"What is it?" he queried. He wasn't used to her cutting him off like that. She normally listened to everything he said until he had repeated everything over again about five times.  
  
"Your job." There was a slight pause, where Percy stared at her expectantly, watching her pour the batter into a pan.  
  
"You remeber I went to visit my sister at Hogwarts today?"

"Yes."

"Guess who I saw on my way home?" she asked conversationally.  
  
"Er... Fudge?"  
  
"No."

"Delores?"

"No."  
  
"Mr. Crouch?"  
  
_"No,"_ she said exasperatedly, "Ron. He was with that lovely Granger girl."  
  
Percy looked anxious. "How - how was he? Was he with Potter?"  
  
"No, Potter wasn't there at the time... D'you know, I said hello and he wouldn't answer back."  
  
It was quite obvious that Percy was annoyed with her. He didn't like the topic of his family being sprung upon them like that. "What does that have to do with my job?"  
  
"Everything."  
  
"Are you trying to say something, Penny, because I'd greatly appreciate it if you just came out with it and stopped procrastinating."  
  
"Your father believes you-know-who is back, no?"  
  
_"Yes"._  
  
"And that Fudge is using you to spy on the family?"  
  
"Yes. And what great proof that has when I _still_ have my job and I haven't spoken to them in a year..."  
  
"I think you're probably right, Perce, but as much as I hate to say this... Well... what makes you so _positive _that - that your family is wrong?"  
  
Percy looked scandalized.  
  
"I mean, maybe if you just try and talk to them, try and see what makes them believe Dumbledore. It's just, it really bothers me when I see them and they're so upset at you, and they glare at me or completely ignore me like it's all my fault or when I see you seeing them and pretending they don't even exist anymore and It's not like the whole lot of them has fallen of the face of the planet, Perce, you know they're still there and it must really hurt you to see Arthur at the Ministry all the time and I worry about you, you know, I just wish you would try and compromise with each other." Penelope rambled on.  
  
"Penny?" he said weakly.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What are you trying to do?"  
  
"Look, just _promise_ me that you'll try to comprimise with them. _Try_ and be a family again?"  
  
"I - well, I.."  
  
"Just try it."  
  
"If they're fools enough to believe that you-know-who is back and then they try to convince me and get me to join the order-"  
  
"I can bet my boots you're going to storm out again," Penny finished for him, "I know. It's just sad, that's all. And what if tommorrow you find out he _is_ back and they won't accept an apology?"  
  
"Well," said Percy, "That's a highly doubtful position, Penny, honestly. Highly doubtful," he gave a feeble sort of laugh, "but I guess I'd just try to make amends..."  
  
"So there wont be any of your unreasonable ambitious 'but It won't be good for my job' things?" she asked him absently, taking a nicely browned cake out of the oven. He moaned, quite offended at this. Penny had always semmed to understand his ambitions. It was her words that made him realize he may be going a bit too far with his work.  
  
"No, Pen."  
  
"Would you like a bit of coffee cake?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Penny neatly cut off a slice and placed it on a simple blue plate, handing it over to a grateful Percy.  
  
"Thanks".  
  
— —  
  
Probably terrible, please review and tell the whole truth. Contemplating on whether to write a giganimouos amount of one-shots this summer. I love one-shots, especially ones by Liebling. You really ought to check her work out. Anyway... ta ta for now....


End file.
